According to legend, starving artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin sold their souls to the devil in exchange for riches and fame.
Each of these artists died at age 27, at the height of their careers, which adds to the myth.
The fact that the trio — and other artists like Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain — all died at 27, after achieving fame has added to the legend, which has become known as the “27 Club.”
Morrison was arguably the most controversial of 1960s artists. His band, The Doors, rose to fame in the late 60s and in their short four years together, left a trail of devastation wherever they went.
The Doors became famous for their psychedelic yet poetic lyrics, and Morrison’s notoriously unpredictable performances.
These anarchistic performances have transcended time and the footage is still blowing peoples’ minds in 2012.
Morrison may be dead but the Doors’ music isn’t. “L.A. Woman” (40th Anniversary Edition) released on Jan. 20 is one of many pathetic attempts to boost the once great band’s record sales. In a span of 10 years, the remaining Doors re-released the same CD compilation at least three times, despite the fact that it contained no new material aside from studio chatter “never heard before,” and boasted a new name for the compilation.
The 40th anniversary of “L.A. Woman” also boasted new material, but like its predecessors, only offered studio chatter.
Additionally, marketers hyped never before heard tracks, which resulted in only two “new” songs.
The Doors were one of the most successful rock bands in history.
They don’t need to keep disgracing themselves with these feeble reissues. This Doors fan always gives the new takes a chance, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
Songs like “Riders On the Storm” remain unrivaled with Morrison’s vivid imagery. “Been Down So Long” explains Morrison’s troubles and expresses his need to get out of the spotlight.
One of the best songs on the reissue is “She Smells So Nice.” When Morrison sings, the track is rough and staticy, but it works because it takes the listener back to the early days of The Doors, before all of the overdubs and cleaning up that’s associated with studio work.
Perhaps the reason the same songs are being released is because the remaining Doors felt duped out of money, since Morrison left the band and died in Paris in 1971, or maybe it’s because of the band’s short run in the music industry.
Whatever the case, “L.A. Woman” (40th Anniversary Edition) is definitely not worth the money.
The marketing team did a good job on fooling the public.
If you want a quality Doors experience, check out the original “L.A. Woman” or any of the original Doors albums.